Cape Town - Power utility Eskom says the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station will play a key role as it moves aggressively towards delivering a “cleaner energy portfolio” over the coming decades.
Eskom held a special media briefing yesterday on the back of the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) last week giving it the green light to operate Koeberg until 2044.
The NNR announced that it had approved Eskom’s Long-Term Operation application to operate Koeberg beyond the current licence term of July 21, 2024, for an additional 20 years.
Eskom chairperson Mteto Nyati said: “This celebration that we are going through is a reflection of the leadership. Coming out of an environment where we had significant load shedding in the county, and to take a moment and to celebrate.”
In attendance at the briefing was Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Eskom group executive for generation Bheki Nxumalo, power station manager Velaphi Ntuli, and Keith Featherstone, chief nuclear officer.
Ramokgopa said: “Koeberg is an illustration of the technical capabilities of South Africa from an engineering point of view in relation to nuclear.”
Work on Koeberg got under way on July 1, 1976.
Unit 1 started commercial operations on July 21, 1984, after passing the commissioning tests at 100% power.
Unit 2 followed later and entered commercial operation on November 9, 1985.
Koeberg, according to Nxumalo, is a crucial component of Eskom’s energy generation mix and stabilises the supply of electricity in South Africa by supplying dependable base load power.
“It helps increase the energy security of the country and provide critical megawatts to close our national energy supply gap, and it will continue to play a key role as Eskom moves aggressively into delivering a cleaner energy portfolio,” he said.
Ramokgopa said: “They have done exceptionally well to convince the regulator that they have everything possible to meet the extension of life, and they are working very hard for Koeberg Unit 2.”
Koeberg’s licence extension brings it into the group of about 120 reactors globally that have safely continued to operate past their initial 40-year lifespan.
In addition to being the only nuclear power plant in Africa still in operation, Koeberg also has the biggest turbine generators in the southern hemisphere.
With the country being 117 days without load shedding, Eskom further highlighted that the country is not out of the woods yet.
Featherstone also thanked past and present staff who contributed in maintaining the excellence in nuclear safety.
“As we celebrate and honour this special anniversary, I want to express my heartfelt appreciation for the remarkable contribution by all the present and past Koeberg staff and contractors,” he said.
byron.lukas@inl.co.za
Cape Argus